One to Help
by MordantVirtue
Summary: Shannik is an blood relation to Van Helsing, but the year is 2034, and now she needs the help of Dracula. There is ALOT of swearing in this story and later there will be sexual situations. PLEASE r


Shannik tried desperately to sink deeper into her coat, trying unsuccessfully to hide from the cramping cold. She took a long drag from cigarette, then discarded it, watching in glow for a moment then die. She glared at the fog, which was slowly creeping across the Themes and toward the church and herself. Lightning flickered far off, but she heard no thunder and felt no rain, but she bitterly watched the rain clouds grown near. She shivered briefly before fumbling around in her pockets, searching for another cigarette. She rested it between her lips then taking her lighter flicked it. No flame. She swore softly and tried several more times to light the damn thing, but no flame came, just the loud _chink _of the lighter echoing eerily around the courtroom walls. She roughly shoved both into her pockets and grimaced when she felt the delicate cigarette snap. To further worsen her sour mood some light rain began to fall, and within moments was hurtling down on her. Soon the nicotine craving and the rainwater creeping down her neck and into her clothes was almost enough to drive her mad. She was about to walk to the church when a bright light filled her vision and she hissed angrily. She put up a hand to lessen the light when a whiny voice sounded from the other side of it.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" He commanded. Shannik scowled into the brilliant light.

"Who the hell are you?" The guard glowered back.

"Just what I ought to be asking you, miss." Shannik gritted her teeth.

"Look, you need to leave bud." The guard laughed.

"Horse shit. How about you tell me who the hell you are?"

"Move that light out of my god damn face, and I'll tell you." The man hesitated then lowered the light. Shannik nodded her thanks then swiftly threw a right hook into his face. With a groan, he stiffly collapsed, releasing the flashlight, which clattered to the ground and went out. He looked up at her one last time.

"Bitch" He slurred. She gave him an icy smile before reaching for the flashlight and bringing it down violently on his skull. He fell face forward, and lay still. Shannik looked down at his form, hopping she hadn't killed him, she would be in some deep shit then. She sighed impatiently and kicked his foot, but the man made no movements. She bent down and took the small gun he had hitched to his side.

"My name is Shannik, and I work for the ... (The church which Gabriel worked for, I don't remember what the name was), no you have never heard of it because to most people it does not exist. Think MIB with out the conference room suits and instead of aliens, try the paranormal and supernatural." She stood and checked her watch, then turned back to the unconscious guard.

"And you very well almost made me late for a meeting with a client. Sweet dreams ass-wipe." She snarled and then turned abruptly and strode through the rain to the church. She hesitated in front of the large wooden doors. She had faced this creature's kind in the past, but not him. Not the oldest and most feared. He should have died a long time ago almost 200 years ago. But that son-of-a-bitch just had to come back. Shannik tilted her head from left to right a couple of times, loosening up the tense muscles in her neck. She hated that she was here. They shouldn't be asking for it's help, especially her. Asking for its help...she smiled and shook her head. How the tables had turned.

The door opened with a loud hesitant groan. Shannik threw herself inside then quickly slammed the door, creating a crash that echoed loudly ad terribly throughout the vast church. She winced involuntarily; noises in big places could be freaking loud. She walked quietly past the brochures, welcoming tourists and lightly leapt over the yellow caution tape plastered everywhere by the police. She had never been to the Saint Paul's Cathedral in the daytime, but only got to glance at blue prints before she left. She glanced briefly at the chalk outlines of the victims but continued past. She walked half way down the aisle but stopped. She stood and waited not quite sure what to do next. She listened to the water drip off her clothes on to a puddle on the floor, and hated how even a noise quiet as that could roll through the building like cannon fire. It was only then that she saw the single candle alight in the very center of the great church. A single candle. But it lit so much, glinting off gold and bronze of sleeping saints and priests. A breeze fluttered past her and she could have sworn she heard the sigh of a woman. She took a deep breath and walked toward the candle, feeling eyes watching her from everywhere. She tried to shrug off the feeling as she fumbled in her jacket for another cigarette. She had reached the table and was about to light her cigarette with the small candle flame when a voice spoke.

"Could you not? This, after all, is a church, my dear." Rumbled a thick Transylvanian accent from, it seemed, everywhere in the room at once. Shannik gave a nod of understanding.

"True, but can God take a little smoke? I'm probably the only one to smoke in this tomb for oh...a few hundred years." There was a low chuckle and Shannik fiend a smile and lit the cigarette. She took a long pull and blew it out which she hoped looked like a bored manor.

"So, great place to meet. I thought your kind hated churches." There was another chuckle.

"Most do. I fear there are few of 'my kind' that can appreciate the beauty of churches, this one especially." Shannik peered uneasily into the darkness, and took another drag.

"Do you prefer this meeting by a single candle or is there a chance we could have some light." At first there was silence, then two lines of fire sped to her, than past her on either sides of the church, throwing a wild heat in her face for a moment. She faltered for a moment then quickly regained her composure. Apparently, candles were placed anywhere they could be along the walls of the church, and brightly lit the room. Seeing no one around her, she rose her eyes up to the figure standing on a balcony many feet above her. She kept her eyes on the man as she took another drag. Then she turned slowly on the spot and nodded.

"This'll do." The man smiled, then calmly leapt from the balcony, turning into a bat like creature as he fell, and was quickly a man mere inches from the ground. Shannik rolled her eyes.

"Impressive." She said dully. Shannik took another drag and stared the man up and down.

"How are you Drac?" Dracula sniffed disapprovingly and clasped his hands tightly behind his back.

"I would prefer you called me, Dracula, at the very least." He gave a small unfeeling smile, and peered into her face, his eyes questioning.

"I have told my name, dear girl, but you have not told me yours." Shannik smiled. She was really going to enjoy this part. She took a drag and blew the smoke at an angel carved in the stone. She turned back to him and gave a half smile.

"My name is Shannik...Shannik Van Helsing." Dracula made a noise between a hiss and a sigh.

"Gabriel..." He murmured, and Shannik saw anger pass over his rather handsome features. Shannik shook her head slightly and blinked. Handsome features? It almost sounded like she had a little crush on this monster, on her however-many-great grandfathers' arch nemesis of course. To cover her faltering thoughts, she looked around for an ashtray and by instinct dropped it to the ground; unfortunately remembering where she was only moments after the cigarette left her fingers. Dracula swooped down quickly and snatched it, glowering at Shannik. She returned his gaze sheepishly.

"Old habit." She muttered. Dracula sighed impatiently.

"Why are you here, Shannik, other than spoiling ancient beauty?" Shannik glowered at him.

"You make it seem as if I made a specie of animal instead of dropping a little ash on a floor." She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"But I did not come to bicker with you. I actually came here to...to ask for your help." Dracula blinked several times, then slowly her began to chuckle, which soon became a full out laugh that, much to Shannik's annoyance, rippled through the room, echoing all around her.

"My help? MY HELP? You, especially you who's family has hunted my and killed me, have asked me to help you? For whom do you work?" Shannik pushed away a stray hair.

"I work for the same people my great grandfather worked for." She said with a shrug.

"Look, I know I am not that convincing, just come with me. They will be more convincing than I." Dracula gave her a look out of the corner of his eye.

"Very well, take me there." Shannik peered a little nervously up into the dome of the great church.

"Got anything you want to bring? We're going to Rome you know." Dracula gazed down at Shannik, with a gaze you would give to a very ignorant child.

"No, I do not have any possessions I wish to bring, you butcher of the English tongue. We can leave immediately." Shannik swallowed her anger and looked around herself never the less.

"When I first came here, I felt...something." Dracula nodded and he smiled sadly.

"You do know that this church is also a tomb? There are few who were put to rest...when it was not quite their time to die. So they speak to any who will listen." He rose his arms to the ceiling and whispers of the dead briefly filled her ears. She shivered a little. Then she straightened, and did a little mocking bow.

"Holiest Sir, would you do me an honor of leading us to the slightly dreary outdoors." Dracula sneered and swiftly walked passed her. Only a few paces away he paused and turned back to Shannik.

"I was oh so very close to killing your great grandfather. I think you lack much of his skill...keep that fresh in your mind, my dear." And with that he continued to the great doors. Shannik made a child like face at Dracula's back and trudged after him. Dracula paused again at the door.

"Don't think I did not see that." He chided softly. And with that he flicked his hand extinguishing every candle, and left her in the darkness with the restless spirits. Shannik stiffened when voices began to whisper in her ears.

"Basterd."


End file.
